Courses/Workshops

Integrated Ecological Design With Brad Lancaster and Eric Toensmeier (Colorado, 25 July – August 8, 2014)

What: Study integrated ecological design with two of the foremost instructors and practitioners in permaculture.
When: Friday July 25-Sunday August 8th
Where: Woodbine Ecology Center, Colorado, USA

Longevity. Abundance. Regeneration. Oases. Beauty. Bounty. Plant the Rain. Garden Like a Forest. Design With Natural Patterns.

Learn water harvesting and earthworks techniques, and how to create edible forest gardens, for easier, more long-lasting, beautiful yields and resiliency. Through studying examples and hands-on work, this course will give participants an opportunity to delve into both basic and advanced permaculture techniques and develop a thorough understanding of ecological design, which would benefit one and all. This course will also focus on better preparing for climate change, carbon faming techniques and indigenous management practices.

In this course, we will:

  • Learn how to design more, work less
  • Create natural oases
  • Utilize "waste" water for delicious landscaping
  • Reduce our need for irrigation
  • Utilize and assess our resources
  • Create lower-maintenance longer-lived gardens
  • Use more native, climatically-adapted plants
  • Cultivate bigger harvests with less work
  • Work with local climate, soil, and and precipitation
  • Create perennial and sustainable systems, inspired by nature
  • Design for resilient and regenerative communities
  • Prepare for climate change and reduce our carbon footprint
  • Learn about Eco-cultural restoration and Indigenous management techniques
  • Develop a strong sense of place
  • Understand broad and transferable principles of ecological design
  • Earn an Advanced Design Certificate*

*The participant must have earned a Permaculture Design Certificate prior to the beginning of this class in order to be eligible for an Advanced Design Certificate. Participants without a PDC are also welcomed to attend and can earn a certificate of completion. This course has no prerequisites other than a strong desire to learn how to become an ecological designer.

Brad Lancaster: Since 1993, Brad’s turned water scarcity into water abundance and run a successful permaculture consulting, design, and education business focused on integrated and sustainable approaches to landscape design, planning, and living. He is the author of Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond Volume I and II.

Eric Toensmeier: Eric has spent much of his adult life exploring edible and useful plants of the world and their use in perennial agroecosystems. He is the author of Paradise Lot, Perennial Vegetables and co-author of Edible Forest Gardens Volume I and II with Dave Jacke. He has written and taught about carbon sequestration through agroforestry and is developing a book on Indigenous Plant Management techniques for Woodbine.

Instructors: Brad Lancaster, Eric Toensmeier, Woodbine staff and guests.
Meals: Breakfast Saturday through lunch Sunday is included in the cost.
Lodging: Included. Dormitory style cabins, dorm rooms, and camping with your own equipment. Dormitory space is first come, first serve. Please bring your own sheets, pillow, sleeping bag, blankets and towels.

Register here!

Eric Toensmeier

Eric Toensmeier is the award-winning author of Paradise Lot and Perennial Vegetables, and the co-author of Edible Forest Gardens. He is an appointed lecturer at Yale University, a Senior Biosequestration Fellow with Project Drawdown, and an international trainer. Eric presents in English, Spanish, and botanical Latin throughout the Americas and beyond. He has studied useful perennial plants and their roles in agroforestry systems for over two decades. Eric has owned a seed company, managed an urban farm that leased parcels to Hispanic and refugee growers, and provided planning and business trainings to farmers. He is the author of The Carbon Farming Solution: A Global Toolkit of Perennial Crops and Regenerative Agricultural Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Food Security released in February 2016.

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